On a blistery day on the red clay, Jan Hajek (No. 87 in World) defeated Denis Kudla (No. 112 in World), Junior Tennis Champions Center alum, in the first round of the French Open today, 6-2, 5-7, 6-0, 6-4.
In a devastating stretch, Kudla lost eight straight games. The skid ended when he broke Hajek early in the fourth.
In the fourth, down 4-2, Kudla rallied from 15-40 to hold serve. He was on the cusp of knotting the fourth at four games apiece before Hajek charged back to win three straight points. Hajek finished off the match by holding serve at 5-4.
Kudla has only played 13 professional matches on clay (all on Challenger Tour). On the flip side, Hajek is a clay connoisseur. On the pro circuit, the 29-year-old has competed in a total of 395 matches. 77% of those matches (307) were on clay. He touts a career 61% winning percentage on the surface.
Match Stats
Aces
Kudla (5)
Hajek (4)
Double Faults
Kudla (5)
Hajek (4)
1st Serves Percentage
Kudla (81/119) (68%) (15% above 2013 percentage)
Hajek (73/104) (70%) (4% above 2013 percentage)
1st Serve Points Won
Kudla (48/81) (59%) (18% below 2013 percentage) (23% in third set)
Hajek (58/73) (79%) (16% above 2013 percentage) (81% in third set)
2nd Serve Points Won
Kudla (17/38) (45%) (2% below 2013 percentage)
Hajek (18/31) (58%) (11% above 2013 percentage)
Net Points Won
Kudla (6/9) (67%)
Hajek (8/10) (80%)
Break Points Won
Kudla (1/7) (14%)
Hajek (6/12) (50%)
Winners
Kudla (30) (13 from backhand)
Hajek (35) (12 from forehand)
Unforced Errors
Kudla (51) (14 total and 10 from the backhand side in third set)
Hajek (36) (5 in third set)
